Doorways of the Soul
by Syreene
Summary: Kurt becomes a teacher at Xavier's school, while the questions of Romana's past finally are answered! ***Chapter 4 finished, and Chapter 5 begun!***
1. Chapter 1

"Doorways of the Soul" by Syreene  
  
*Once again, all X-Men are property of Marvel. Romana Verone is an original  
character. No profits are being made from this story.blah, blah, blah.  
  
*This story takes place after "Keep Your Tail Up."  
  
"So, why did God make mutants, Mr. Wagner?" questions a young girl with curling ram horns coming out the sides of her temples.  
  
-Ach, you knew this one was coming, Kurt. Ever since the day you asked Scott if you could teach this class-  
  
Three days earlier.  
  
"I've really got to thank you, Scott, for giving me this chance with the school again." Kurt said as the bell rang and students began passing them in the hall as they walked.  
  
"Not a problem at all, Kurt." Scott answered with a smile as he clasped him on the shoulder. "With the Professor gone, we have to do what we think is right for the students. We've been doing our best to train them physically and mentally, but we've been sorely lacking in the emotional department lately."  
  
"Did you see who that was? Wasn't that Mr. Cyclops?" whispered a girl with snakes writhing about her head like hair as she walked quickly down the hall with her girlfriend.  
  
"Ooh, yeah!" Answered the other girl with a giggle. "But who is the other guy? He looks kinda cute!"  
  
"S-s-s-syclops.s-s-syclops." the snakes hissed as the echo of the giggling girls floated down the hall.  
  
"It was silly of me to leave the school, thinking I could do more on my own. There are too many students here who must have the question 'Why?' dominant in their minds. At least maybe now, with this theology class, we can try to figure out why not." Kurt smiled with a lopsided grin as they stopped outside his classroom door. He gazed through the window at the variety of mutants waiting for him, some with fur, some with horns and wings, others looking rather normal until they opened their eyes. Kurt took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he put his hand on the doorknob and braced his shoulders.  
  
"You'll do fine, Kurt." Scott said with reassurance as he looked through the window with him. "Just remember that they are all going through the same questions of self-doubt and fear that you did."  
  
"Ja, mein freund," Kurt answered as he opened the door. "I just hope I can find the answers."  
  
"Mr. Wagner?" asks the girl with the horns again.  
  
"I'm sorry, Holly, I got lost in thought for a moment." Kurt says as he stands up from his chair and walks around to the front of his desk to lean on it, his tail curled about his waist. "You wouldn't be asking that kind of question if you didn't already have some ideas about the answer, so I would like to hear what you think."  
  
"Well," Holly says in embarrassment as she finds something absolutely fascinating about her desk and continues quietly, "my Mom told me that it was my punishment for making Dad leave."  
  
Saddened by such a painful admission, and the fact that many of the students all started finding something fascinating with their desks as well, Kurt goes to Holly's desk and crouches down beside her. "And do you believe that?" he asks gently. Holly doesn't say a word, but the fat tear that drops onto her desk speaks volumes. Kurt stands up and looks around at the quiet mutants. "Many of you have been told that the reason you were a mutant was because you were being punished by God, or because you deserved it for being bad. To tell the truth, for a long time I believed it about myself." Kurt walks back to his desk and pushes himself up onto it in a cross-legged position.  
  
"I didn't find this out till much later, but my mother was chased away from her home in Germany by an angry mob when she gave birth to me. During the chase she was knocked down a waterfall, and although she managed to save herself, I disappeared in the waves."  
  
"How did you survive, Mr. Wagner?" asks another boy as he raises his hand carefully to avoid cutting those around him with his bladed forearms.  
  
"I don't really know, Thomas." Kurt answers as he entwines his fingers in his lap. "I would like to think, though, that God had a greater purpose for me. Why would God make me the handsome blue furred devil that I am, and let me live after going over a towering waterfall, only because he didn't want me? That didn't make sense."  
  
"I know, I know! It's like when there was this girl learning to ride her bicycle on my street," starts another girl, her feet tapping excitedly under her desk. "My mom said I wouldn't amount to anything and being a mutant only proved it, but when that little girl fell off her bike in the street in front of that car, I just had to do something! So I jumped out the window into the street, grabbed the girl, and leapt into a tree so no one would see me. I was afraid to tell my mom what I did, because I knew it proved her wrong. I AM worth something.I saved a girl's life, right?"  
  
"Exactly." Kurt answers with a smile as the students start to look up from their desks with the glimmer of hope in their expressions. "Can anyone else tell me of a time when they used their mutant abilities to help others?"  
  
Holly inches her hand up slowly off her desk as Kurt scans the students deep in thought.  
  
"Holly?" Kurt asks gently. "Tell us how you used your abilities to help someone."  
  
"I.I." she stammers shyly.  
  
"It's all right, meine madchen. You have nothing to hide, here. We are all in the same boat." Kurt says with a friendly smile and a wink to ease her nervousness.  
  
"I.I saw my Dad drinking one night." Holly began, once again fascinated by her desk. "He was getting really mean and angry, and he started yelling at Mom. She started crying, and it just made him angrier! When he.when he started hitting her, I.I had to do something. I just put my head down and ran like those goats in the mountains, and I." her words fade off as she sniffs and wipes her eye with the back of her hand.  
  
"What happened, Holly?" Kurt presses as some of the students around her scoot their desks over to provide support.  
  
"I got him with my horn in his knee and crushed his kneecap," she whispers.  
  
"Woo hoo! You go, girl!" hollers a girl with red pupils and scales traveling up her arms.  
  
"Yeah! Father or not, you don't treat people like that," agrees Thomas. "You were protecting your Mom!"  
  
"But she.Dad left after that!" Holly cries. "It was my fault!"  
  
"Nein, liebchen. It wasn't your fault that your father left, no matter what anyone says. Too many times, ignorant people will blame the unknown before they will look to themselves for fault." Kurt says as he opens his arms and Holly launches herself from her desk into his hug with a sob. "You did the right thing, and used your mutant ability to save your mother from a cruel and abusive alcoholic of a husband, who could have killed her if you hadn't done something." The class nods in agreement as Kurt continues. "Your father left because someone finally stood up to him, even if your mother doesn't want to admit it. It wasn't your fault."  
  
"Thank you.I just needed to hear it from someone else.thank you so much!" Holly sniffs.  
  
Kurt is about to respond when someone yells, "Group hug!" With a clatter of desks the students all gather around Holly and him with open arms as they try their best to hug everyone at the same time. With a huge grin on his face, Kurt looks at the different mutants all gathered together in love and support of one another, and can't help think about Romana.  
  
-I wouldn't have been able to do this without you, liebling. Why did I think I needed to search for people who needed my help, when there were so many right here? I only hope that your time here at the school is going just as well.- 


	2. Chapter 2

Romana takes a deep breath as she stares at the door to Jean's room. -What are you waiting for? You were afraid to tell Kurt about how you blacked out when Selene attacked you on the Hill and didn't wake up till he called your name.and now that there's someone who can help you remember, you're terrified to!- With a determined shake of her head, Romana squares her shoulders and lifts her hand to knock.  
  
**Come in, Romana**  
  
With an embarrassed grin on her face, Romana opens the door into Jean's room. "I guess that's how I make people feel when I give them answers to questions they're about to ask."  
  
Jean laughs as she finishes putting the braid into her hair. "My fault.force of habit I guess. Most everyone is used to my telepathy by now, so sometimes I forget to talk out loud. Forgive the frumpy look, but I was going to head to the gym after we talked," she says as she gestures over her baggy gray sweat suit with the words 'Xavier University' printed on them. Romana smiles as she reads the words, and Jean giggles. "I know.I couldn't resist."  
  
"I have never had a telepath dive into my mind before," Romana says as she looks at a picture on the wall of five kids in yellow and black jumpsuits standing around an older bald man in a wheelchair. "Is that." she starts as she notices the visor on one of the boys.  
  
"Cyclops?" Jean asks as she comes up behind Romana to look at the picture. She laughs as she gazes fondly at the picture. "Yeah, that's Slim.that's also me, Bobby a.k.a Iceman, Hank before the fur, and Warren, he's called Angel."  
  
"I wonder why," Romana says sarcastically as she traces the long expanse of white-feathered wings from his back. "And the man in the wheelchair?" she asks with an arched eyebrow.  
  
"That would be Professor Xavier. He recruited us, goodness.has it been that long.over twenty years ago when he founded this school. He trained us, and we formed the X-Men as a way to help humanity and try to save other mutants. His powers of telepathy are unmatched on this planet as far as I know. He should be the one helping you right now," Jean says with an apologetic grin as she scratches the back of her neck. "Unfortunately, he is off in Washington D.C., once again trying to lobby for mutant rights."  
  
"Personally, I'm just glad that you are willing to help me." Romana says as she turns from the picture to check out the rest of the room. "So.where do you want me?"  
  
"First," Jean says as she scans the room and hurriedly picks up some dirty laundry off of her couch, "why don't you make yourself comfortable, and tell me what exactly you want me to look for."  
  
"Well," Romana sighs as she sits back and is engulfed in the plushy blue couch, "ever since I can remember I have had these 'blackouts.' Sometimes it happens when I am really stressed out or in danger, and the other times it happens when I am hit with the energy."  
  
"The energy? What do you mean?" Jean asks as she pulls up a chair behind Romana on the couch.  
  
"I don't know.it seems to happen when people die. This green energy shoots out of them and hits me, and then I wake up again when it's over. It can't be everyone that dies, though." frustrated, Romana sits up and runs her fingers through her hair. "I mean, if I absorbed the energy from everyone who died, I'd be hit with this stuff almost all the time, wouldn't I?" she gestures into the air, and then drops her hands between her knees.  
  
"So you want to know what happens to you when you blackout, and what this energy has to do with it?" Jean asks as she rests her arms on the back of the couch.  
  
"Right."  
  
"Then lay back and relax, and let the Marvel Girl do her work." Jean jokes as she rubs her hands together and then hovers them over each side of Romana's temples.  
  
Romana relaxes, and Jean can feel the flow of Romana's thoughts and memories rushing into her mind. She can't help but smile at the feelings of love and friendship Romana has for Kurt, but quickly moves away from those thoughts. -Now is not the time to be nosy, Jean, leave the lovebirds alone-  
  
She begins to rewind Romana's memories like videotape, until she reaches the point behind the church where Selene confronted her and Kurt. She sets the memories in motion again, and watches as someone is killed in the limousine and the green energy shoots out from them into Romana. -Let's see if I can follow the trail-  
  
Jean focuses on the green energy and follows it as it shoots into Romana. While her body absorbs much of the energy, the core of it shoots directly into Romana's psyche. She zooms past various memories, as if she is traveling back in time. Jean tries her best to identify some of the memories as she goes:  
  
-Romana stuffing books into a hole as Nazi soldiers walk by her window-  
  
-Romana laughing in joy as she watches one of the first moving pictures -  
  
-The weight of the rocks as the Inquisitor ties them to Romana's back-  
  
-Romana and her family being ordered off a Duke's land by armored knights-  
  
The memories come quicker now, until they all zoom past in a blur. Finally the energy stops as it zooms through a door, Jean's astral-self trying to follow, but thumping against it and falling to the ground instead. As she shakes her head and looks up at the door, she notices various runes around the edges and a large symbol carved into the middle of it, glowing with the energy.  
  
-This is where the energy goes.I wonder what could have happened to Romana that the knowledge of it has to be locked at the root of her psyche? These runes seem magical in nature, but I'm not sure-  
  
Jean runs her fingers over the intricately woven runes and comes to a handle. As she wraps her hand around it, however, words whisper into her mind and the rune in the middle of the door glows blindingly with energy and shoots out into Jean's astral form. The power of it forces her back, the memories going in fast forward now as she is ejected out of Romana's mind and slammed into hers. The blast is so strong that Jean is thrown back into her chair and falls onto the floor, dazed.  
  
"Jean!" Romana exclaims as she quickly sits up and over the couch. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry."  
  
"It's okay, Romana.serves me right for not having my shields up fully." Jean says as she rubs the back of her head. "I'm okay, but I think I am going to have one heck of a migraine coming on. I may skip that workout after all."  
  
"Did you find anything that could help me?" Romana asks as she winces, preparing for the worst.  
  
"All I can really tell is that it seems magical in nature. I found somewhere to start looking, but I want to check some things out before I can really tell you anything positive."  
  
"Magical."Romana whispers as she bites her lip, a sad and worried look on her face.  
  
"What's wrong?" asks Jean.  
  
"Kurt, he.I'm sure you know this more than I, but he's been hurt a lot by magic in the past. Now that he finally seems happy, I don't want to scare him with the knowledge that I am being affected by a magical energy that's beyond my control."  
  
Jean smiles with a sad look in her eyes as she says, "You know, I actually know what that feels like, being affected by an energy beyond your control, and the hell it put Scott through. Maybe someday I'll tell you why they don't call me Phoenix anymore."  
  
"Thank you for everything, Jean." Romana says with a smile. "I'd love to hear about you and the X-Men someday. Please let me know if you find anything." Romana opens the door, and with a friendly wave she leaves.  
  
"I will, Romana." Jean says with a wave as Romana leaves. -As soon as I can figure out what that voice was that I heard when the energy hit me, and what exactly it meant by "Now is not the time." Time for what? What will happen to Romana when it is time? - 


	3. Chapter 3

Romana closes Jean's door with a sigh and a lowering of her head. -This gives me more questions than answers...Goddess, just let me figure this out without losing Kurt- Romana raises her head and turns around, only to have her shoulders pushed against the door by a rather irritated mountain-man.  
  
"Where's Jean?" Logan snarls menacingly as he brings his face close to Romana's.  
  
"Logan...what's going on?" Romana stammers, her eyes wide.  
  
"Something happened to Jeannie, and I want to know what...right..."he raises his closed fist to Romana's eye level.  
  
"Logan! What do you think you are doing?" Jean exclaims as she opens her door and Romana falls on her rear in shock.  
  
"Jean! Are you okay? I thought something happened to you!" Logan asks hurriedly as he steps over Romana to clasp Jean's arms.  
  
"I'm fine, Logan. It's just a stupid bump on the head that was solely my fault. She wanted me to help her with some repressed memories, and I got myself a mental jolt for being careless. You above all others should know how difficult repressed memories can be, Logan!" Jean says in exasperation as she rubs her temple. "Now if you don't mind, I need to go get some Excedrin." Jean stares at Logan pointedly with her arms crossed.  
  
"Oh...right," Logan says in embarrassment and relief as he steps aside and extends a hand to Romana to help her up.  
  
Romana brushes herself off and can't help but notice the way Logan's eyes follow Jean down the hall. "It's tough, isn't it?" she asks as she leans against the doorjamb.  
  
"What is?" Logan asks gruffly, turning his head slightly but still keeping an eye on Jean till she disappears around the corner.  
  
"Living so long without love.especially when it belongs to someone else." Romana says quietly as she crosses her arms over her chest.  
  
"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT IT?" Logan yells as he spins around with a snikt and plants his claws an inch from Romana's eyes.  
  
"Plenty," Romana says casually as she places a finger to the side of one of his claws and pushes them gently to the side, "that is, if you ever wanted to talk. I have the feeling that we have more in common than you realize, Logan, and I would like us to be friends."  
  
"Friends, huh?" Logan laughs wickedly as he withdraws his claws and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. "Not until I see how you stand up in a fight."  
  
--  
  
They get off the elevator and Logan strides purposefully down the hall till they get to the large metal doors of the Danger Room. "Computer.Logan Dojo.level 1.safety parameters on." Logan commands into the small speaker as he presses a combination of buttons on the control panel in the wall. A green light flashes, and the hall echoes with the thumping of servos as the door opens. "After you," he says almost mockingly as Romana steps into another world.  
  
"Beautiful." Romana whispers as she steps into the ancient Japanese dojo and gazes in amazement. The walls are a cream rice paper with dark cherry wood slats bordering each piece and running across the middle at waist level. Every five panels have a scroll hanging down the wall with Japanese calligraphy written on it. Along the opposite ends of the dojo are racks of various martial arts weapons, from katanas to naginatas. The floor is an off-white canvas covered with woven reed mats, and the ceiling arches upward into various rafters and darkness. As Romana walks to a window, she breathes in the delicate scent of cherry blossoms on the wind. -I may not know the Japanese, but I can tell the home of a warrior when I see one. Just how long have you been alive, Logan?-  
  
"So what did it mean by 'safety parameters on'?" Romana asks as she runs her fingers along the pommels of the weapons in the racks, the sunlight gleaming of their deadly blades.  
  
Logan laughs as a panel opens up in the wall with six narrow slots just the right size for his claws. "It's not like I am worried about hurting you or anything, or you me for that matter." with a smooth sliding sound of metal on metal, Logan releases his claws and inserts them into the slots. When he removes them, he holds his claws up for Romana to see the semi-transparent film coating them. "I just found that I take my claws for granted sometimes, and it's good training for me to handicap myself. Besides.it would be over too quickly if I didn't," he smiles cockily as he assumes a resting stance. "If you want me to be your friend, I have to know what to expect from you, how you will react in a fight. What you can say to me don't mean crap till I see what happens when your basic instincts kick in. Whenever you're ready."  
  
"Fereste-mã, Doamne, de prieteni, cã de dusmani mã feresc eu," Romana says as her search ends on two double-ended knives. She grasps them and turns to assume her ready stance. "Goddess defend me from my friends." she spins the deadly blades in her hands and assumes a defensive stance, one knife arched above her head, the other held in front of her face, "from my enemies I can defend myself."  
  
Romana can't help but remember her Uncle Megosh teaching her lessons in Baratero, the knife-fighting style of the gypsies, long ago as she holds the deadly blades before her.  
  
"Now remember, nanochka, the best way to figure out your opponent is  
to let him attack first. Draw him out to show his purpose, and you  
will have already won. As you stay calm, he will anger. As you dodge,  
he will strike wilder."  
  
"But isn't that dangerous, uncle?"  
  
"It is the man who speaks little and attacks with focused energy that  
is a true danger, little one."  
  
Romana's mouth twitches with a barely perceived smile. -Yes, uncle-  
  
Logan crouches low and begins to growl. "I can see I'm going to have to get this party started!"  
  
Logan takes a flying leap at Romana, who flattens her blades out at the last second and ducks under him, placing her hands on his stomach and guiding him past her. She then straightens out her opposite leg and turns, once again resuming her defensive stance as he flips forward and lands on his feet, facing away from her.  
  
Logan leaps in a spinning kick, his right leg whipping around with speed towards her head. Romana reaches up with her left hand to grab his ankle, while her right palm slams into Logan's knee, hyper-extending it. She pulls his ankle and pushes down on his knee as she rotates her hips, and forces him onto the ground on his back.  
  
Quickly, Logan sweeps Romana's feet with his free leg and sends her flipping backwards in a handspring as he gets to his feet. Romana smiles slyly as she once again resumes the defense.  
  
"You're testing me."Logan growls as he narrows his eyes in irritation.  
  
"I thought that's what this was," Romana retorts with feigned innocence, "a test!"  
  
"Grr.I'm tired of this chicken-shit! Come on and hit me!" Logan yells as he strikes so fast that Romana only has time to raise her knives to her face to block the blades inches away from her throat as he drives her to the ground.  
  
"Please, Logan." Romana grunts as her lip curls with the effort of holding Logan back. "I don't want to fight you."  
  
"You couldn't hurt me with those pig-stickers if you tried, girlie," Logan grumbles with a sneer. "Show me what's in your heart before I take a look for myself the hard way! What would you do if one of our lives were in danger? What if it was Kurt's?"  
  
"Kurt's?" Romana's look hardens as her eyes begin to glow a soft green. "Very well, then."  
  
Romana rocks her body back onto her shoulders and reaches up with legs and crosses her ankles around Logan's neck. She forcefully pulls down as she rocks back and flips his body backwards away from her.  
  
Logan quickly rights himself and smiles evilly as Romana pushes herself to her feet by rolling back on her shoulders and pushing up with her hands. -You should hide your feelings better, girlie- Romana twirls her knives into an offensive strike, her eyes now radiating with the eerie green light.  
  
"Are you ready for round two?" she asks.  
  
"All right, girlie. No holding back this time," Logan warns as he quickly retracts and extends his claws, the protective sheath falling to the ground.  
  
With a smirk, Romana smiles and nods. "I know."  
  
Logan launches himself at Romana's midsection, claws extended. She sidesteps and deflects his claws with her right blade as she lets the momentum of Logan's leap spin her extended left arm slicing across his back.  
  
Logan pulls in his claws as his hands hit the floor, and pushes off the ground to kick back at Romana's head. She blocks by pulling her forearms together, and then ducks as he spins about with his claws to continue the attack.  
  
Romana counters with her own spin and attempts to sweep-kick Logan, who flips backward to avoid it, only to feel the slice of her upward lunge with her knife as he regains his feet.  
  
Logan leans back to try and avoid the blunt of her attack and slashes out with his claws, but Romana is already continuing her lunge upward and planting her hands on his shoulders as she flips behind him.  
  
"Dodge this." Logan grunts as he quickly turns around to attack with his claws extended, fully expecting Romana to try and dodge at the last second.  
  
Surprisingly, Romana drops her blades and grabs Logan's claws with her hands, and intertwines them in her grip. She then pushes his hands down to lower his head and jump kicks, her first foot slamming into Logan's ear, and the second slamming it's heel into his neck with a sickening crunch. Romana lands with a twirl and releases Logan's claws as he crumples to the floor.  
  
"No one."Romana pants as her eyes fade to normal," No one will hurt Kurt as long as I exist!"  
  
With a groan and a popping crunch as he puts his neck back into place, Logan gets to his feet. "As a friend, that's good to hear. As a member of this school and this team, though, I'll tell you now: Be careful of who you share that information with, because there are evil sons of bitches out there who will use every means they can to hurt you. Because you are the way you are," Logan lights a cigar and taps the end of one of his claws against her chest, not even leaving a scratch, "they are bound to go after Kurt. Never forget that."  
  
Nodding grimly, the sweat dripping off Romana's forehead, Romana answers, "Never."  
  
Logan stares at her for a moment, as if sizing up her soul with his eyes. He then grins around his cigar and takes a long puff before he exhales. "Good. Glad we got that settled, then." He slaps the control panel of the Danger Room and the dojo fades away as the door open to reveal the metal hallway beyond.  
  
"By the way." he begins as Romana walks toward the door.  
  
Romana stops, turns her head slightly, and interrupts, "Can't right now, sure, though not today, and I can see the future." She looks over her shoulder, and with a wink of her glowing green eye, she walks out the door.  
  
Logan stares dumfounded for a moment at the exiting Romana. "While I'll be damned," he whispers, and then laughs gruffly at the thought of the questions he was about to ask. -Do you want to get a beer, how about sparring again sometime, and how in the hell did you beat me?- 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
Click.click-click...click-click-clack.  
  
The soft green glow of the computer screen shines in Jean Grey's eyes as she hunches over the keyboard, the large list of occult categories flitting by as Jean searches through Xavier's database of the occult.  
  
"Come on, Professor.you've seen so much, you must have come across this symbol somewhere or know someone who has." Jean mutters as she pounds the page arrow on the keyboard, flipping through numerous images of runes and symbols, ranging from simple Nordic rune carvings to Navaho sand paintings. She leans back in the chair and runs her fingers through her hair in frustration as she telekinetically keeps clicking through the symbols.  
  
"Siege Perilous. Shadow King. Limbo. hello!" Jean bolts forward as the symbol of the eye that blasted her in astral space stares coldly at her from the screen. "Okay, I've found you, now what are you?" she mutters as she pages down for more information, only to find a word in large red type flashing back at her.  
  
"RESTRICTED?" Jean shouts in frustration as she slams her fist on the desk. "I didn't spend two hours looking for you only to tell me. hey. wait a minute." She scans down and in small type below she sees a glimmer of hope.  
  
Anyone who has encountered this symbol should immediately report his or her findings to Dr. Stephen Strange, expert in the occult, Greenwich Village, New York.  
  
"Dr. Strange." Jean muses as she stares at the magical symbol that the Professor felt he had to keep from the world. "Maybe I should tell the Professor about this."  
  
The door behind Jean swishes open as Logan strides through. When he sees Jean hasn't noticed him, however, he takes the chance to silently sneak up on his favorite telepath, a devious grin on his face.  
  
"What cha' doing, Red?" he asks in a whisper as he crouches behind her.  
  
Jean stiffens for a moment, and then relaxes with a smile as she turns around in mock reproach. "Logan!" she playfully shoves him as she smiles. "Only you."  
  
-Can make you smile, can love you the way you need to be loved-The thoughts run through Logan's head as he smiles and quickly changes the topic. "So what are you doing cooped up in here?"  
  
Jean turns back to the computer monitor and taps the symbol on the screen as Logan leans on the back of her chair and looks over her shoulder. "As you well know, I was trying to help Romana with some repressed memories earlier today," Jean answers, her voice ripe with sarcasm over Logan's earlier incident outside her door, "and I think I may have found something. It's odd though."  
  
"No kidding. There's a lot of odd things going on with her," Logan agrees as he stands straight.  
  
"How so?"  
  
"After you left on your quest for aspirin I sort of challenged Romana to a fight in the Danger Room." Logan mutters as he turns away, his voice steadily getting quieter as his embarrassment grows.  
  
"You did WHAT?" Jean asks incredulously, her eyes practically bulging at the thought of Romana up against the feral Wolverine in a one-on-one fight. "What were you thinking? Oh wait, I remember.you weren't!"  
  
"Hey now, dump some water on that hot head of yours, Red. You have to let me finish to get the whole story." Logan pleads as he raises his hands in defense from a telekinetic with a bad temper.  
  
"All right.. spill it." Jean says as she crosses her arms, waiting to here what kind of excuse he can come up with.  
  
"You know me, Jeannie. The best way for me to figure someone out is to see how he or she fights. I wasn't going to hurt her. hell, I don't even know if I can."  
  
"Point taken. So what happened that was so odd?"  
  
Logan wrinkles his face in thought. "At first, she wouldn't fight me at all. Every move I made she would dodge or neutralize, but she would never hit back, even though it was obvious she knew some knife fighting. That is till I mentioned Kurt. When I asked her to fight like Kurt's life was in danger, everything about her changed."  
  
"What do you mean?" Romana asks as she sits up straight and truly begins to listen.  
  
"She got this cold, hard look on her face as her eyes started to glow, and then her whole fighting style changed." Logan continues as he starts to pace back and forth, flexing his hands. "All of a sudden I could have sworn I was back in the good ol' U.S.S.R. fighting the KGB again! She caught me by surprise by predicting my every move, and then went straight in for the kill like a trained agent."  
  
"In for the kill?" Jean questions, a worried look on her face.  
  
"If I weren't who I was, Jeannie," Logan answers seriously as he leans in to her, his hands on the arms of her chair, "I would be dead. When the fight was over, though, she was 'normal' again."  
  
"None of this makes any sense!" Jean exclaims in frustration, her brow furrowing as she turns back to the screen.  
  
"Yeah. so what did you find out, other than this eye-thing?"  
  
"When I went through her memory, I tried not to pry on anything other than what she asked, but I couldn't help noticing some powerful memories that kept popping up her mind." Jean answers as she picks up a computer stylus and bites on the end.  
  
"And the odd thing was?" Logan asks as leans on the desk beside her.  
  
"Well.. I don't think the memories were hers. I mean, in her head she was there, but."  
  
"Just say what's on your mind, Jeannie." Logan reassures her as the looks of doubt cross Jean's face. "What did it make you feel?"  
  
"Like each of the memories belonged to a different person, yet they were all kept in Romana's head. The feelings of the memories were all wrong, some like they belonged to children or the elderly, others from a decidedly male perspective." Jean glances up at Logan's troubled face and comes to a decision. "I need to tell the Professor about this."  
  
Logan nods silently, and Jean turns around and closes her eyes, situating herself comfortably in the chair.  
  
** Professor? Can you hear me? I need to talk to you. **  
  
** I have been keeping track of what's going on, and you seem to be doing quite fine on your own, Jean. What is the problem? **  
  
** Romana seems to be a mental conundrum, Professor, and at the root of it seems to be this symbol. **  
  
Romana concentrates on the image she saw in Romana's mind and projects it to the Professor. There is a long pause as Jean waits for a reply.  
  
** Professor? **  
  
Silence.  
  
** I will talk to Stephen and request an audience for you right away. The Senators are coming off the floor now, so I must go. Be careful. **  
  
"Well," Jean says with a sigh when she is sure the Professor's presence is gone, " I guess it's time for a visit to the doctor's."  
  
~~~~  
  
"Okay class," Kurt announces as he glances at the clock. "Since our time is almost done, who can tell me something they learned today?"  
  
Holly raises her hand with a soft smile. "I learned that being a mutant doesn't make you a bad person."  
  
"That's wonderful to hear, Holly." Kurt says with a grin as he walks between the desks. "Can anyone else tell me something they learned?"  
  
"Oooh! I learned that mutant powers means mutant responsibility!" chirps the bouncy Sarah.  
  
"I learned that just because you have powers, it doesn't make you better than anyone else," Answers another boy.  
  
"Wunderbar!" Kurt exclaims in joy as the bell rings and the children get up from their desks. "Tomorrow we are actually going to start studying, so be prepared!" Kurt jokingly warns the students as they walk out the door.  
  
Holly grabs Kurt's waist in a quick hug again before she heads out of the classroom. "Thank you so much, Mr. Wagner."  
  
Kurt watches the last of the students walk out and closes the door behind them with a smile. - Now that I have one day under my belt, I think I deserve a break. Maybe Romana would like to join me in the sunshine for a little lunch - Kurt slings his bag over his shoulder and looks over the classroom with a smile before he turns out the light. "Things are finally looking up around here."  
  
~~~  
  
"There has to be records of them somewhere. " A hollow sounding male voice growls as Romana hunches over a computer terminal in the darkened library. Pages of names flash by on the screen as Romana searches through numerous birth records of the state. "By the Gods, I didn't come to New York just to be thwarted by a measly wandering gypsy!"  
  
"Romana? Are you in here?" Kurt's voice echoes from below as he opens the library door.  
  
- Not now! -  
  
"Kurt?" Romana shakes her head, overcoming a dizzy feeling. - What am I doing here in the library? Goddess, not again.- "I'm up here, Kurt!" Romana answers as she looks at the computer screen displaying the descendants of the Verone clan here in Manhattan. -Why would I be looking them up? - With a bamf and puff of smoke Kurt appears on the balcony behind Romana.  
  
"There you are, meine liebling!" Kurt joyfully exclaims as he wraps his arms around Romana's shoulders and hugs her from behind. "I have been looking all over for you to share my good news!"  
  
"Your class went well?" Romana asks with a hopeful smile as she cuddles her cheek against his.  
  
"The class went better than I could have ever expected, Romana. I couldn't have done it without you." Kurt finishes in a whisper as he brushes his lips in gentle kisses down her neck.  
  
"I didn't teach the class, Kurt." Romana rebukes as pleasurable goose bumps form over her skin and she leans back into his arms.  
  
"If you won't accept my praise, would you accept some lunch instead?"  
  
Romana turns her chair to face Kurt with a raised brow and a sly smile on her face. "And just what were you planning for us to eat on this little excursion?"  
  
"You'll just have to come with me to find out, won't you?" Kurt chuckles as he raises his eyebrows suggestively.  
  
"I never could resist a man who brings me lunch," Romana replies huskily as she stretches her arms out to him. Kurt pulls her up into his embrace and kisses her deeply, his tail wrapping around the picnic basket before they disappear in a puff of smoke.  
  
~~~~  
  
"There! Check this out, Logan." Jean exclaims as she notices Romana's computer usage on her monitor.  
  
"Find something interesting?"  
  
"Give me a sec, and we'll bring up the computer screen on her terminal.and here we go! " Jean scans the last thing Romana had on her computer as she mutters, "Curious."  
  
"Come on, Red, what did you find?" Logan asks impatiently as he leans over the back of Jean's chair to look at the monitor. "Birth records?"  
  
"Not just any birth records, Logan.these look like the birth records of her descendants here in Manhattan. Do you think she's looking up her family now that she's not being chased by the Externals?"  
  
"Maybe.but after everything else that we've discovered about Romana, I'm starting to think everything she does has a double meaning." Logan growls.  
  
"I think your right, Logan. The quicker we can get her to see Dr. Strange, the quicker, I hope, we can solve this mystery." Jean gets up from her seat at the computer and turns to Logan. "I don't think it's a good idea to tell Kurt about this yet.at least not till we know something for sure."  
  
"Gotcha, Red." Logan says with a grin. "Anyhow.I've been wanting to see if the ol' fur ball has lost his skills or not. I'll head him off while you take Romana. Just be careful, now. You give me a holler and nothing will stop me from coming to your side. You know that." Logan steps close to Jean and places his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them gently as he looks into her eyes with worry.  
  
Jean looks into Logan's eyes with guarded emotions. "I'm a big girl now, Logan. I can take care of myself." -Think of Scott.everything we've done, everything we've shared. It doesn't matter that you can sense the feelings he has for you like a blazing inferno. It doesn't matter that you've woken up with a sweat night after night thinking what if.-  
  
"I never doubted you could, Jeannie." Logan says with a smile. "I just wanted you to know that you weren't alone in case you ever needed someone." Logan turns and heads for the door, leaving the veiled statement hanging in the air between them. Jean wistfully watches him leave and sighs heavily as she gives her head a mental shake.  
  
-I'll always need you, Logan.but you'll never hear it from me-  
  
~~~~  
  
"I guess I consider this our spot now," Kurt says with a fond grin as he sets down the picnic basket in a sunny spot by the side of the pond where they solidified their relationship months ago.  
  
"So beautiful. so peaceful," Romana agrees with a smile as she lifts her face to the sun and spreads her arms out like she would absorb the sun's rays.  
  
-You live your life to the fullest, Romana, every experience like your first, even after 700 years. How I envy you, liebling-  
  
"Kommt, Romana, and see what Ororo was kind enough to help me with for our lunch." Kurt spreads out the checkered tablecloth and sits down by the picnic basket.  
  
"Helped, Kurt?" the skepticism visible in Romana's raised brow as she looks over her shoulder at Kurt. "We've been together four months now, and I've still never seen you cook!"  
  
"Ach, I'm wounded, liebchen!" Kurt grasps his chest in mock horror and falls back onto the tablecloth. He peeks open one eye to see a smiling Romana shaking her head over him. He lifts himself up on one arm and says sheepishly, "Well, I DID make the cake. sweets for the sweet, after all."  
  
"When all else fails, try chocolate?" Romana giggles as she sits beside him on the cloth and starts removing the food from the basket.  
  
"It hasn't failed me yet," Kurt laughs heartily in response as he sits up and helps her remove fried chicken, pasta salad, fruit, and the most sinful looking chocolate cake she has ever seen from the basket.  
  
-I should have known. German chocolate cake-  
  
Romana reaches a finger into the thick layer of coconut frosting to snag a sugary glob of sweetness for herself, when Kurt's tail suddenly wraps around her wrist.  
  
"Now, now, liebling! No dessert before lunch. unless you were thinking of something else." Kurt's tail brings Romana's finger up to his lips as he draws it gently into his mouth, avoiding his sharp fangs. Her lips part with surprise as his tongue wraps around her finger and licks off the incriminating frosting. "Very sweet."  
  
"And that's just my finger." Romana answers lustily as she leans forward and pushes Kurt to the ground so she can straddle his waist, the cake all but forgotten.  
  
-Witty repertoires can wait-  
  
Kurt runs his fingers through Romana's long hair and gently cups the back of her head to bring her down for a kiss. His tail caresses her back lovingly, stroking from the small of her back to her shoulder blades. Romana moans into his open mouth as she deepens the kiss with her tongue and stretches out on top of Kurt in a passionate embrace. Her hands caress his shirt and the short blue fur underneath as her fingers deftly undo the buttons down to his waistline.  
  
"I hope." Romana mutters as she rains kisses down Kurt's chest.  
  
"Was. liebling?" Kurt questions between groans as he caresses her hair.  
  
Romana glances up with a deceptively innocent and wistful look. "I hope Ororo's food tastes as good cold." she lowers her head again, and any reply from Kurt falls flat as he gasps.  
  
"Romana."  
  
~~~~  
  
"Thank you, Wong, for all your help in giving us a chance to see your master today. Please thank him as well for his generosity." Jean speaks into her cell phone as she walks out of the school to see Logan sitting on the steps clad in his usual plaid shirt and worn jeans and boots.  
  
"It is Dr. Strange who thanks you, Madame Grey. Your speedy contact regarding the symbol you say you've discovered could save many people. We await your arrival." The phone clicks, and Jean folds her cell phone closed to look at Logan.  
  
"Well, all that's left is to gather Romana and keep Kurt busy, I guess." Jean puts her cell phone in the back pocket of her black jeans and sighs.  
  
"Right, Jeannie," Logan says resolutely. "You wait here, and I'll send her your way."  
  
"Don't hurt Kurt too much." Jean warns Logan as he walks towards the woods, his sarcastic snort barely discernable. -I hope you can forgive us, Kurt.I truly hope this is for the best -  
  
~~~~  
  
"So, did you answer your question, liebling?" Kurt asks with a naughty expression as they hold hands down the path towards the school.  
  
Romana blushes slightly as she looks to the ground and coughs. "Yes, Kurt. Ororo's food was delicious, and I have discovered more uses for frosting than I ever knew."  
  
Kurt's answering blush is more than enough for Romana as she remembers what else she put the frosting on other than her finger. "Maybe next time I will make us a." Romana's voice dies to a whisper as her eyes begin to glow.  
  
"Romana?" Kurt asks in concern when he notices the change in her eyes.  
  
"Duck!"  
  
Romana's warning comes seconds to late as Kurt pushes Romana down, only to have himself bowled over by a leaping Wolverine who tumbles head over heels to come out with his knee firmly planted in a stunned Kurt's chest.  
  
"Logan?" Kurt exclaims in surprise.  
  
"You're growing soft, elf." Logan growls as he points down at the prostrate Kurt. "If you're going to live at this school, you gotta keep up your practice! Picnic packing skills aren't going to save you!"  
  
Romana pushes herself into a sitting position with a groan and brushes dirt and leaves from her hair. "What in the Goddesses name do you think you are doing?" she asks in disbelief.  
  
"It's all right, liebchen." Kurt bamfs and re-appears standing beside Romana with his hand stretched out to help her up. "Logan is just jealous."  
  
"Oh yeah," Logan drawls sarcastically as he waves his hand in front of his face to disperse what was left of Kurt's signature move. "I'm real jealous of a wishy-washy pansy priest who can't fight his way out of a paper bag."  
  
Kurt's spine stiffens and Romana gazes knowingly into his hardened eyes. "Go on," she whispers with a sly smile. "Show him what you're made of. I'll wait back at the mansion."  
  
Kurt nods and smiles evilly. "Danke schoen, liebchen. I won't be long." Kurt turns to the grinning Logan and points at his chest with his thick finger. "Just because I chose not to fight, doesn't mean I don't know how to kick your ass, Logan."  
  
"Hmph. prove it!" Logan pulls out a stub of a cigar and chomps down on it. "I'll give you to the count of 10, elf, and then your mine."  
  
Kurt turns slightly and winks at Romana before he bamfs, and then the chase is on. Romana smiles and then turns to head down the path to the mansion, not noticing the hard stare of Logan as he watches her leave.  
  
~~~ 


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5  
  
"Do you think this Dr. Strange really can help me?" Romana asks Jean as she gazes at the different buildings flashing by their car window.  
  
"He's our best hope, Romana." Jean answers, her eyes focused on the road. - If he can't help us, God help us all -  
  
"I wish I could have told Kurt where I was going." Romana mutters as she leans back in her seat.  
  
"I'm a telepath, remember?" Jean says with a wry grin. "Logan will tell Kurt where we are going for us." - I only hope he doesn't set Kurt off. who am I kidding? -  
  
They drive on in awkward silence until they enter Greenwich Village and come upon an eccentric looking three-story townhouse. "177a Bleaker Street. this is it." Jean says with relief as they park across the street and walk over. "Amazing." Jean whispers to herself as she picks up on the strong aura of magic and power surrounding the building.  
  
"I don't know, Jean. I don't like this." Romana mutters, a nagging voice in her mind telling her she doesn't want to be here. "Isn't there someone else?"  
  
"He's the best there is, Romana. The Professor even recommended him, and we all have trusted our lives with him before." Jean does her best to provide a reassuring smile, then turns to grasp the brass knocker on the dark cherry wood door.  
  
"The master is expecting you, Madame Grey." Jean jumps as she turns to see that a bald Asian man in a dark green silk shirt and pants has opened the door she was reaching to knock.  
  
"Not used to it happening to you, huh?" Romana jokes in a whisper as she smiles at the peaceful looking man.  
  
Jean regains her composure and smiles. "Thank you."  
  
"Wong, Madame Grey." Wong answers Jean's unspoken question and opens the door further into the townhouse. "Please, enter."  
  
Jean walks into the house with a nod and Romana follows behind, only to be stopped by Wong's hand.  
  
"She may not enter," Wong warns as Romana looks puzzled.  
  
"Why?" Jean asks incredulously. "She is the reason why we are here!"  
  
"She cannot enter, because she cannot enter. Observe." Wong removes his hand and Romana walks to the doorway, only to squish her nose against an invisible barrier. "There is an evil presence in your friend, and evil cannot enter this household. I will have to escort you to the gardens in the back, and you can wait for the doctor there." Wong walks past the two women down the stairs and walks to a path by the side of the house. "If you would both follow me to the gardens, I will retrieve the doctor."  
  
Jean and Romana look at each other and shrug, as if to silently say, "What other choice do we have?" and follow Wong down the path.  
  
The wooded path opens up into a beautiful fenced in garden with large oak trees circled by benches and colorful blooming flowers.  
  
"This is beautiful, Wong! Do you take care of the garden?" Romana asks as she bends down to inhale the fragrance of a peach rose.  
  
"Yes, madam." Wong replies with the slightest hint of a smile. "Taking care of the garden is one of my many duties here. If you would like to have a seat on one of the benches, I will try not to be too long." Jean and Romana sit under the shade of one of the oak trees as Wong walks a short path framed by lilies to the back door of the townhouse.  
  
"Jean." Romana whispers quietly once they are alone.  
  
"What's bothering you, Romana?" Jean asks, although she already can imagine her answer. - Oh nothing, just that I have an unknown occult spell implanted in my brain, I have blackouts, and now I've been called evil -  
  
"Do you think I'm evil?" Romana's voice is almost childlike as she stares at her shoes, bracing herself for the reply.  
  
Jean sighs heavily. "No, Romana. I don't think you are evil, but I do think that something evil is taking advantage of you; I just don't know what."  
  
"Oh." Romana is quiet for a long moment. "Jean?"  
  
"Yes, Romana?"  
  
"Thanks."  
  
They sit in silence for a few moments and Romana's mind drifts as she watches a warm breeze blow the leaves above.  
  
- You shouldn't be here. You need to leave.now! -  
  
Romana shivers and wraps her arms around her chest.  
  
"Are you okay, Romana?" Jean asks as she put her hand on Romana's  
shoulder.  
  
"Huh? Oh. just a cold shiver, I guess."  
  
- Jean wouldn't lead me into danger. I trust her. she's my friend -  
  
- Then why wouldn't they let you say goodbye to Kurt? They think you  
are dangerous, and they don't trust you! Run away, before it's too  
late! -  
  
"No!" Romana whispers harshly as she hugs herself tighter and closes  
her eyes.  
  
"Romana?" Jean asks, the look of worry clear on her furrowed brow.  
"This time I know, something's wrong. What is it?"  
  
Romana rocks slightly back and forth as she mutters, "It's nothing.  
it's nothing. it's. YOU!" She leaps to her feet and stares with the  
glowing green light of her eyes at the regal looking man with white  
streaks in his hair entering the garden. "It's too late to save her  
now, Strange! I will complete my task, and Cthon will again walk this  
plane!" Romana growls in a masculine voice not her own.  
  
Strange halts his steps and his eyes widen at the name. He begins to  
make small gestures with his right hand as he points towards the  
possessed Romana, who also sees the gestures and begins to panic.  
  
"Fereste-te de cãrbunele acoperit!" Romana yells and raises her hand  
towards Strange, when suddenly her eyes roll up into her head and she  
collapses to the ground, unconscious.  
  
Strange raises an eyebrow in question at Jean, who is crouching by the  
bench and focusing intently on Romana. "Your work, I presume?"  
  
Once she knows for sure that Romana is okay, she turns to Strange and  
blushes slightly. "Um. yes. I didn't mean to interfere, but I thought  
it was the best way to end things peacefully."  
  
"By all means, my dear." Strange replies as Wong appears and lifts the  
prone Romana into his arms. "I have the feeling that I am going to  
need my magic for a much more dangerous endeavor." He gestures over  
Romana and her body glows a faint blue. "Now she may enter my home.  
Come, please, for we have much to do, and little time." Strange turns  
and walks back into his townhouse followed by Wong with the  
unconscious Romana, and a very worried Jean.  
  
- Romana. what happened to you? And even worse. how do I tell Kurt? - 


	6. Chapter 5a

~~~  
  
"All right, meine freund. I know you better than this." Kurt announces to the quiet forest around him as crouches down in the bushes and scans for the slightest movement that might hint at Logan's presence. "Tell me why you wanted me out here."  
  
The chirping of distant birds is Kurt's only reply.  
  
"I am not in the mood for games, Logan." Kurt stands and with a look of scorn he turns as if to walk back to the mansion.  
  
"How much do you really know about Romana?" Logan's voice echoes through the woods.  
  
Kurt freezes, his hands balling into tight fists. "What do you mean, Logan?" he asks without turning around.  
  
"What if she has a deep dark secret?" the bushes rustle slightly to the left of Kurt's vision.  
  
- There! -  
  
Kurt teleports and reaches out to grab Logan, only to barely catch the glimpse of boots disappearing into the foliage.  
  
"You're going to have to do a lot better than that if you want the truth, elf. There was a time where we were on equal par. Now you're soft, and you can't even find me. How do you expect to help Romana?" Logan's voice goads from his hiding place.  
  
"If Romana is in some danger, you have to tell me, Logan." Kurt pleads to the wind.  
  
"I don't have to do Jack!" Logan growls in answer. "You talk about strength of faith, but faith isn't going to fight your battles for you! Faith isn't going to help Romana!"  
  
"Gehen zu Tot, Logan!" Kurt bites out as he teleports to higher ground in the trees. "You had no right to do this behind my back!"  
  
-Gott im Himmel! I am wasting time chasing Logan while something is going wrong with Romana. Wait. he's trying to keep me rattled so I can't focus! I have to calm down and out-fox him, or I will never learn the truth -  
  
"Maybe you are jealous, Logan." Kurt says softly as a plan forms in his mind, and he begins a rapid series of teleports through the woods. -bamf- "You are a bitter old man, Logan." -bamf- "You can't stand the fact that I am in love," -bamf- "That Jean is in love," -bamf- "And that no one is in love with you!" - Wait! There, a distinct growl and sound of claws! -  
  
-bamf-  
  
Kurt appears above and behind Logan and catches him angered and off guard. He plants his flying feet into Logan's back, sending him to the ground as Kurt flips over Logan's body to land in front of him. Logan gets up and Kurt leaps onto him, knocking him back to the ground.  
  
"What have you done to Romana?" Kurt yells into Logan's face, his yellow pupils glowing bright.  
  
"Done? What has she done to us?" Logan retorts and flips Kurt off his chest with a knee plant. "You bring her here so she can sidle up to us all nice and sweet, but she's a whole lot more than she lets on. There's something wrong with that one, even if she doesn't know it. Jean just took her somewhere where she can get some help." Logan dusts himself off as he stares warily at Kurt, who is kneeling on all fours.  
  
Kurt winces, as he recalls saying almost the same thing when he first met Romana. "You had no right, Logan." He says quietly as he stares at the ground, his hands digging into the dirt. "She came to me for help and understanding, not to be put under the microscope!" Kurt teleports with a thought and his fist strikes out of the swirling smoke into Logan's chin.  
  
Logan's head reels back with the punch, then whips back as his hand strikes out and slams Kurt against the thick trunk of a nearby tree. "Your lady is being messed with magically, fuzzy, and she doesn't know why or how. She didn't want to tell you, because she was afraid you'd run." Kurt struggles in Logan's grasp as he continues with a growl, his face snarling inches away from Kurt's. "So what are you going to do now, bub? Are you going to run away, back to your little church, or are you going to stand up for what you believe in and fight for her?"  
  
With a heated stare and panting breath, Kurt answers. "Where.is.she?"  
  
"What are you going to do when you find her?"  
  
Kurt ceases his struggling and thinks deeply. He takes a deep breath, and then answers with a determined look on his face, "I am going to help her and love her no matter what."  
  
"Good answer. Jean took her to this guy." Logan grunts as he pulls a cigar stub from his belt and chomps on it, and then pulls a lighter and a card from his belt. He smiles around the stub and flips the card at Kurt, who deftly catches it as Logan lights his cigar.  
  
Kurt scans the card excitedly and reads the name in the flowing script.  
  
Dr. Stephen Strange  
  
Scholar of the Occult  
  
177A Bleecker St.  
  
Greenwich Village, N.Y.C., NY  
~Meetings by appointment only~  
  
"I've never heard of this man," Kurt says doubtfully.  
  
"He came recommended by Chuck, so that seemed a good a place as any to start. Here." Logan replies as he reaches into his boot cuff and pulls out a key that he tosses to Kurt. "You can take Cyke's bike. I don't think he'll miss it. Catch ya later, elf." Logan snickers to himself as he walks into the woods.  
  
"Danke, meine freund." Kurt says to the retreating Logan as he clutches the card in his hand. -I'll find you no matter where you are, Romana. Just hold on- With a swirl of smoke Kurt disappears into the night. 


End file.
